NEW YORK – Rick Bright joined the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in 2010 following a scientific career addressing influenza at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at PATH, plus a stint in industry at a vaccine development firm.
Now a 12-year-old agency, BARDA was always intended to be nimble and innovative. Lately, however, Bright has been revving it up further, striving to create new funding mechanisms that are even faster and more ingenious — qualities he noted are more typically associated with industry than government.